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People named William Astell

2 William Astell Biographies

William Astell Apr 1, 1920 - May 17, 1943 Germany

William Astell was born in Cheshire on April 1, 1920. His family's affluence allowed him to travel widely as a young man; on the outbreak of World War II he joined first the Royal Navy, then transferred to the RAF. He trained as a pilot in Rhodesia and began combat operations as a Wellington bomber pilot in September 1941 with 148 Squadron. He was seriously injured in a crash in December 1941 when another aircraft cut in front of him in the landing pattern, and he suffered a fractured skull and burns. He returned to duty in March 1942. On May 30, he and his crew were posted missing in action; shot down behind enemy lines, he eluded capture and returned to his home base 5 days later. In January 1943 he was assigned to 57 Squadron as a Lancaster pilot. Contrary to the legend that 617 Squadron was a hand-picked, all-volunteer unit, Astell and his crew were simply transferred in. On the night of May 16-17 1943, Astell and his crew were assigned to the third, reserve wave of Operation Chastise. At 0015 hours, they were engaged by light flak, the same battery that earlier had damaged John Hopgood's aircraft, and the damaged Lancaster flew into a high tension pylon and crashed. 90 seconds later, the Upkeep mine's backup fuse detonated, destroying the aircraft. Flight Lieutenant Bill Astell, DFC, was 23.

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William Astell Jan 4, 1891 - Dec 1965 Aberdeen, Washington

William Astell of Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County, Washington was born on January 4, 1891, and died at age 74 years old in December 1965.

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Astell biographies alphabetically beginning with Bernice and ending with Zelda Astell.

Bernice Astell (Feb 19, 1906 - Oct 1985) Blanch Astell (Jun 9, 1892 - May 1974) Cecile Astell (Jul 15, 1912 - Nov 3, 2000) Clarence Astell (Oct 21, 1889 - Jun 1981) Clayton Astell (Apr 8, 1893 - Jul 11, 1974) Clinton Astell (Apr 8, 1893 - Sep 1975) Elizabeth Astell (Jul 27, 1915 - May 1984) Elmer Astell (Jul 19, 1894 - Jun 1976) Erna Astell (Nov 1905 - Dec 1976) Estella Astell (Oct 17, 1892 - Jul 1978) Frank Astell (Jun 22, 1904 - Jul 25, 1998) Garnet Astell (Dec 21, 1892 - Sep 1972) Harry Astell (Apr 13, 1904 - Dec 1979) Hartley Astell (Dec 16, 1894 - Jan 1984) Helen Astell Ina Astell (Mar 1, 1894 - Jan 1984) Inez Astell (Feb 14, 1907 - Apr 22, 1990) Jacqueline Astell (Aug 20, 1927 - Dec 1, 1986) James Astell (Nov 8, 1905 - Oct 1978)

Joe Astell (Dec 9, 1906 - Apr 1971) John Astell Joseph Astell (Mar 8, 1886 - Jun 1963) Leonard Astell (Nov 22, 1887 - Jun 1971) Lloyd Astell (Jan 20, 1895 - Feb 1981) Louis Astell (Oct 17, 1892 - Nov 1967) Louise Astell (Dec 5, 1908 - Jun 20, 1995) Luella Astell (Feb 10, 1914 - Jan 10, 1995) Max Astell (Jul 27, 1916 - Nov 2, 1992) Mollie Astell (Sep 30, 1874 - Dec 1967) Opal Astell (May 29, 1910 - Dec 15, 1993) Richard Astell (Apr 5, 1930 - Dec 22, 1992) Russell Astell (May 7, 1894 - Sep 1968) Sarah Astell Teresa Astell (Oct 29, 1897 - Jul 15, 1971) Wilbur Astell (Mar 14, 1902 - Sep 1966) William Astell Winnifred Astell (Mar 22, 1903 - Oct 1970) Zelda Astell (Jun 3, 1906 - Jun 1972)

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